Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Esther entered the dining room, walking as swiftly as possible beside Baron Dunshire. She couldn’t help but be enchanted by the beauty of the decorations. The entire place had been illuminated with candle lights and an array of hothouse flowers in large vases encircled the room.
“Our seats are just over there, Lady Esther.” Baron Dunshire addressed her, motioning towards the left side of the table.
Esther nodded, and the pair made their way to the table.
As soon as they reached their places, Baron Dunshire snatched out his chair and sat down heavily, leaving Esther standing.
Esther’s eyes widened at his lack of manners but she did not bother to comment.
This was just the kind of boorish behavior she expected from Fergus.
She took out her own seat and sat down beside the vile man. Fergus turned slightly to face her, and Esther started at how close he suddenly was. A very pungent smell hit her nostrils and she scrunched up her nose reflexively.
“Is something wrong, Lady Esther?” Fergus questioned, casually staring at Esther’s face. She was about to reply when she suddenly understood what the smell was. Fergus’s breath smelled like strong spirits, and the stench was strong enough to nauseate her.
“No, My Lord.” Esther replied, turning her face to her empty plate.
How am I going to survive an entire dinner sitting beside this man?
A musical laugh suddenly caught Esther’s attention, and she, along with several others in close vicinity, turned to the sound.
It was Astrid, who was sitting only a few seats away beside the Duke of Alewood.
Esther knew why Astrid had laughed in this manner.
She was simply trying to gather the attention of as many people as possible.
She wanted the ton to notice her interaction with the duke so tomorrow’s gossip columns could mention a possible match between the pair.
Everything her sister did was calculated.
Esther shook her head at the tactic but decided to ignore it.
Astrid was sitting there beside the classically handsome duke, while here she was stuck with a man like Fergus Dunshire.
Why was fate so cruel? The simple thought made her heart heavy, and the dinner felt like nothing but a social burden she was forced to endure.
“My lady, your soup.” A footman appeared behind her, placing a small bowl at the table in front of her. The delicate white soup was one of Esther's favorites, but she found that her appetite had escaped her. She wished she could excuse herself and return home, but that was not an option.
“Why are you not eating, Lady Esther?” Fergus questioned, practically drinking his soup right from the bowl.
Esther was horrified at his absolute lack of manners but did not say one word.
She picked up her spoon and started sipping in small portions, trying to keep the poisonous thoughts spinning inside her head at bay.
It felt as if everything was coming right at her at once.
Astrid having the time of her life sitting beside the duke, Fergus talking her ear off with gibberish and the god-awful smell of breath radiating out of him.
If she weren’t surrounded by the entire ton, she would have broken down in tears.
“And when I turned eight, I started riding. It was an exciting experience at first, but then I realized it wasn’t for me, really.
Thus, now I only travel in closed carriages, can I?
” Esther nodded politely, not feeling the need to reply.
Fergus had narrated his entire life story by the time the second course had been served.
Esther was hardly touching her food. Her plates were going back to the kitchen barely eaten but she could not will herself to eat any more.
“I think I should write a book on my life, an autobiography. What do you think about that, Lady Esther?” Fergus questioned her directly for the first time in his entire monologue.
Esther, who hadn’t been paying much attention, hesitated.
Thankfully he didn’t notice since the crab placed in front of him was far more interesting anyway.
“I think it would turn out to be a roaring success, My Lord.” Esther replied, not even trying to hide the sarcasm apparent in her tone. Due to his fascination with the food, or perhaps due to his half-drunken state, Fergus did not notice and beamed like a twelve-year-old boy.
Esther realized how superficial the man truly was and how in one single conversation with him she had learned more than she ever wished to know. She started looking around the table to distract herself. Fergus was now rambling on and on about his excellent penmanship.
She turned and noticed that the man across from her and slightly to the right was familiar.
If it isn’t the Marquess of Ilenshire, Ian Gilbert.
Esther was surprised. She looked away quickly when he looked up from his plate, blushing at being caught in the act of staring at the handsome man.
She had known him since childhood and was astounded to find him here.
Esther glanced back and noticed how well he looked.
The boy she had once known had evolved into a striking man.
He was handsome in his dark grey evening coat and burgundy waistcoat.
His cravat was pristinely white and tied in an intricate knot at his throat.
But despite looking like the perfect gentleman, Esther had heard rumors about him being a rake, and she had no time for someone who would trifle with her.
“Lady Esther, what colors would you recommend for me? I have heard ladies have quite a knack for colors,” Fergus broke into her thoughts once again, and Esther wished to strike the man in the face.
Ian had felt her gaze the moment she had looked at him. He had noticed how her eyes had stopped on him for mere moments before she looked away.
“Lady Esther, what colors would you recommend for me? I have heard ladies have quite a knack for colors,” The man seated beside her questioned and Ian controlled the urge to guffaw. Especially when Esther looked ready to slaughter the man but instead replied politely, as expected of a proper lady.
Ian had taken notice of her the moment she had walked in the dining room.
He wanted to laugh at how annoyed she had looked when her partner did not even have the decency to pull out her chair for her.
He wished he had been beside her so he could do the honors instead.
If there was anything his mother had drilled into him, it was societal manners.
She was familiar, of course. He remembered how they had played together on several occasions during their childhood.
He was older than her, but whenever the Chapples and Gilbert’s had met, their children had played together.
Esther had been a fun little girl, always game for all sorts of adventures.
He had enjoyed her company even back then.
“You should purchase a mustard-colored coat, my lord!” Esther mocked dramatically, and Ian again controlled the urge to laugh.
Anyone observing their exchange could notice the sarcastic and mocking replies Esther had been giving her partner since the beginning.
However, the man was either a dim wit or very drunk, so he did not seem to understand.
Ian had observed how Esther had stayed quiet for most of the meal, while the man had continued to talk about himself and his greatness without cease. It was evident that Esther was exceedingly uncomfortable sitting beside him and wished to escape. Her aversion was displayed across her features.
The last time Ian had laid eyes on her was five years ago.
She had still been a child then, but now, Ian couldn’t help but notice that she had matured into a young woman.
The gown she was wearing exposed her impressive bosom beautifully and like any other sane man, Ian, enjoyed the sight.
Her beautiful face had slimmed, and her cheekbones were high, her lips full, all traces of the child he knew disappearing entirely.
Her pale skin was milky and unblemished and looked radiant in contrast to her dark hair.
Ian liked how the light deepened the dark brown shade of her locks and picked up the subtle lighter highlights.
Her brown eyes were concealed by long thick lashes that curled slightly upwards.
As she looked up, he noticed how her irises were a golden copper shade that was arresting.
Ian had never given her a thought in the past years, but tonight she sparked his interest. Whether it was her looks or her witty replies, Ian was enticed.
The color of her gown matched the color of his eyes and Ian knew that whenever he would look at himself in the mirror, he would be reminded of Esther looking like a vision in hazel.
Ian continued stealing glances at her, not caring about propriety any longer.
Esther was glad that dinner was finally ending. Just one last course was left, and then she could flee from the man beside her. She had no idea that someone could speak so much of absolutely nothing of interest. He hadn’t had one worthwhile thing to say to her.
She was constantly praying for an escape from this misery that came in the form of Fergus Dunshire.
As if the Gods had finally decided to listen, the man across from Fergus asked him a question, and he diverted his attention to him.
Esther sighed in relief, happy to gain a moment of respite.
The smell of alcohol on Fergus’s breath had already ruined her appetite, but perhaps she could manage to eat the last course with him not turned to her.
As soon as Fergus’s irritating voice had drifted away from her, her mind went back to Ian.
She wanted to look over at him once more, for she couldn’t deny she found him attractive.
His handsome features had been honed over the years, and Esther had always loved his hazel eyes.
He was the first person she had seen with such an unusual eye color and had always wished for that color herself.
She decided it wouldn't hurt to glance at him again. When she lifted her eyes, she was surprised to see that Ian was watching her. She breathed in sharply, shocked at the intensity of his gaze. It felt as if he was a parched man looking at a pool of fresh water.
A strange feeling took root inside of her as butterflies started floating in her stomach.
A tingling sensation ran through her spine as the hair on the back of her neck rose.
She knew that she should look away for the two had been staring at one another unblinkingly for far too long, and anyone that might notice them would deem the look he was giving her scandalous.
The thought registered somewhere in the back of her brain but she just couldn’t tear her gaze from his.
It was as if an invisible force was pulling them to one another, and they had no control over the matter.
“Ma’am, your dessert.” A footman announced beside her, ending her eye contact with him.
She suddenly felt a loss of warmth from her body as if his eyes were the only thing she had ever needed.
The intensity of the moment they had just shared was incomprehensible, and Esther could think about nothing else as she ate her syllabub.
Her appetite had magically returned. As she ate, her thoughts went back to Ian effortlessly as she remembered how they had spent countless hours playing together as children.
His family would visit their country seat during the summers, and Neil and Madeline had been paired during one such visit years later.
Though she was supposedly a sheltered miss, gossip traveled deftly throughout the ton and Esther knew all about Ian’s roguish reputation.
A man as charming, handsome, and wealthy as him would undoubtedly be popular amongst the women.
He was everything a woman could desire. A gentleman with a subtle hint of wildness about him probably made him irresistible.
Her mother had said on several occasions that reformed rakes made the best husbands.
Though Esther wasn’t sure if it was true.
She knew the repercussions of associating with a man of the likes of Ian Gilbert could be dire.
If anything amiss happened, she would be ruined.
Being a wallflower was far better than being involved in a scandal.
Aside from her dowry, her only commodity was her purity.
“No, I can’t trust a man like Ian. How would I ever know if he was sincere,” she whispered to herself, deciding to stay away from the devilishly handsome man.